Two Years Later
by kaibaspants
Summary: Two years ago, Zoro confessed he had feelings for Sanji. Now the Straw Hats have regrouped, and Zoro still feels the same way. He decides to confront a conflicted Sanji once more.
1. Chapter 1

Zoro stepped into the galley and closed the door behind him. "You got a minute?"

From his place at the sink, Sanji glanced towards the other. "Sure."

Zoro took a seat at the breakfast bar, keeping his eye trained on the cook's back. "It's been two years."

"And?" Sanji asked.

"My feelings haven't changed."

Sanji nearly dropped the plate he'd been rinsing. Then he sighed. "Why are you telling me this?"

It had been upon their departure from Thriller Bark that Zoro had asked to speak to him alone. Still covered in bandages and moving stiffly, he had looked Sanji in the eye and confessed that he had feelings for him. Of course, Sanji had vehemently rejected the other man, telling him it was probably just frustration anyway, from being on the ship so long, and adding an order to stay the hell away from him, just for good measure. Zoro had seemingly taken it all in stride and hadn't acted any different afterwards, probably because he had seen the reaction coming.

"Figured you should know," Zoro said now.

Sanji glanced over his shoulder and resumed his work, a little more aggressively than necessary. In a grating voice, he said, "My feelings haven't changed either. I'm not interested in men."

The glass in his hand shattered, a large shard embedding itself in the fleshy part of his palm. "Goddammit!"

Zoro watched with mild amusement as Sanji pulled out the shard. As he turned to stick the cut under the tap, Zoro rose and rummaged through drawers until he found a roll of bandages. He waited for Sanji to dry his hands and arms before taking the wounded hand and wrapping it, ignoring Sanji's protests.

"I told you, I'm not –"

"I get it," Zoro interrupted. He finished wrapping the wound and promptly dropped Sanji's hand. Then he turned and started picking glass out of the sink. "I'm not coming on to you. Just letting you know."

His calmness irritated Sanji. He was sure Zoro had known how he would react to such a confession two years ago. Even the idiot swordsman couldn't be stupid enough to think Sanji was even remotely interested in other guys. Why had he bothered saying anything in the first place? And to bring it up again almost immediately after regrouping? What was his problem?

Sanji bumped Zoro away from the sink with a hip and mumbled, "I'll do that."

Zoro shrugged and trashed the glass he'd already picked up, then sat back down. "Are you mad?"

_Obviously._ "No."

"Are you threatened?"

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"So you are threatened."

"No, I'm not, especially not by you, ya damn _marimo_-head!"

Zoro's lips twitched into a smirk. "It's not like I'm gonna force myself on you."

"Whatever." Sanji finished cleaning up the glass and went back to washing dishes. The silence stretched on between the two men. Zoro saw that Sanji was tense, almost on guard, and decided to leave him alone. He'd just stood up when the cook spoke again.

"I'm not mad or threatened, but you can't just come up to a guy outta the blue and say something like that. And then bring it up again after all this time. It – I dunno, it freaked me out back then."

Zoro paused. "And now?"

"I don't understand why you have to bring it up," Sanji muttered.

"Well, that's your problem," Zoro said with a shrug. He made for the door again.

"Wait. It – it's not like I hate you or anything, but I just – I can't – I'm not …" Sanji sighed in exasperation. "Forget it. I don't know what I'm saying."

"Missed you, too," Zoro said and exited the galley.

Sanji stood frozen at the sink, his hand still throbbing – and his skin still tingling from Zoro's touch. That time after Thriller Bark, he'd reacted out of shock and fear, already on edge from finding Zoro standing in a pool of blood, drenched in it, and from hearing the truth of what happened from two of the Rolling Pirates who had seen it first-hand. He couldn't explain away the worry and panic he'd felt, nor the fear he'd had that Zoro wouldn't wake up. When he had indeed woken up only to confess romantic feelings for Sanji, it had been instinct with an edge of anxiety to reject him. Yet over the past two years, his mind kept going back to the exchange, even as he was chased day and night by _okamas_. Zoro had held his gaze and stated his feelings almost matter-of-factly, without a hint of shame. It wasn't just that he had seen the reaction coming, Sanji realized, it was that he saw it coming and told him anyway.

"Don't tell me it's some out-of-respect bullshit," Sanji said quietly.

This time around the admission had come as less of a surprise. After all, what else would Zoro want to talk to him about alone? Some part of Sanji had hoped, in those moments that it took Zoro to cross the galley and take a seat, that he'd come to announce that Sanji had been right, that he was over his little crush. But even at Thriller Bark Sanji hadn't really believed that the confession was driven by some kind of sexual frustration. Zoro wasn't one to waste words, especially over something so trivial.

Trying to shake thoughts of the idiot swordsman out of his head, Sanji finished up the dishes and moved on to cleaning the rest of the kitchen. It didn't take long for his thoughts to drift right back to the situation at hand.

"I'm not interested in men," he'd said. And then the glass had shattered and his heart had raced as Zoro bandaged the wound. It was as though his very being protested the statement.

"But it's the truth," Sanji muttered to himself.

It took him longer than usual to clean the kitchen. When he finally stepped out onto the deck, night had already fallen. He paused to light a cigarette and surveyed the deck. Everyone seemed to have retired to their respective quarters, except Franky, who was lowering the anchors, and, to Sanji's annoyance, Zoro. The swordsman was leaning against the railing to Sanji's left, staring out at the sea. Franky finished lowering the anchors and headed inside, offering Sanji some greeting to which Sanji replied vaguely, his attention on Zoro.

"Oi, cook," Zoro said suddenly. "What're you starin' at?"

Sanji started and felt himself go red. He took a drag, blew out a stream of smoke, and replied, "Nothing."

"Then get lost. I'm first watch, not you." There was an edge to his voice that surprised Sanji, and made him decide he was definitely not going inside yet.

"I'm not tired," he said and made his way to lean on the railing next to Zoro, back to the ocean.

"I thought you wanted me to leave you alone," Zoro said.

"I didn't say that."

"Yes you did."

"Two years ago."

"Thought your feelings hadn't changed."

Sanji rolled his eyes but didn't reply. For several moments, the two stood there in silence. Then Zoro glanced over at Sanji and said, "You really did miss me, didn't you."

"Yeah, well, when you're in hell you start to miss even idiot _marimos_."

"Shut up, curly-brow."

Sanji smirked. "Good to know you haven't changed."

"Is it?" Zoro asked, serious again. He watched as Sanji sucked on his cigarette and seemed to think about it. Just as Zoro was about to tell him to forget it, the cook spoke.

"It is, in a way," he said. With a laugh he went on, "I think I woulda been a bit disappointed if you'd come and said you're over me."

Zoro made a disbelieving noise, which Sanji ignored. He ground out his cigarette and turned to the other. "Kiss me."

Zoro went red. "_Why?_"

Not the response Sanji had expected. He stuttered, "You – you don't ask someone _why_ when they tell you to kiss them!"

"You don't tell someone to kiss you when you've already rejected them!" Zoro ran a hand irritably through his hair. "Just go to bed, dumbass."

But when he started to walk away, Sanji grabbed his hand. "Zoro, wait."

Zoro waited.

"I … don't know what I'm feeling," Sanji admitted.

"Maybe you're frustrated," Zoro said dryly.

"Heh. Maybe. Maybe not."

"And you think kissing me is gonna help you figure it out?"

"Maybe."

The swordsman sighed and yanked his hand out of Sanji's grip. Then he turned around and was right in front of the other man in two steps. Without giving himself a moment to hesitate, he tilted the cook's head up and kissed him softly, lingering on his lips for mere seconds. When he pulled away, Sanji's face was pink and he looked almost shocked.

"You're blushing," Zoro said.

Sanji snapped back to normal. "Shut up! So are you!"

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are!"

Zoro shoved at him. "You're so annoying!"

As he stumbled backwards, Sanji grabbed Zoro's robe and used it to pull himself close again. "You love it," he murmured and kissed the swordsman. This time when they parted it was only for half a heartbeat, and when their lips collided again, there was a hunger in them both. Slowly, they sank to the deck where they were soon tangled together. Zoro's mind was going a mile a minute, trying to figure out what the hell the cook was thinking. Could it be that he felt the same way as Zoro and had simply been in denial all this time? Or was he just using Zoro to experiment? Was this all a joke? At the same time, Zoro focused desperately on not moving his hands. Though they wanted nothing more than to roam the contours of Sanji's body, he kept them firmly wrapped around the man's waist. Anything more would probably freak him out, after all…

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Sanji broke the kiss, sitting up to straddle him. "What's wrong? Not enjoying this?"

Zoro swiped a sleeve over his mouth, an action that made Sanji frown. "Why are you…? I mean, you should probably figure out what you feel _before_ you start kissing a person."

"I don't see you complaining," Sanji said, smirking and slowly starting to lean back towards Zoro.

Zoro grabbed him by the tie and pulled him roughly down the rest of the way, kissing him hard. He held Sanji tight and flipped their positions. Sanji gripped Zoro's shoulders and let out a sigh that only encouraged the other. He pressed his hips against Sanji's before he realized it'd now be impossible to deny the extent of his longing. But when the cook bent his knees and pressed his thighs to Zoro's sides as if to hold him closer, it became apparent that Zoro wasn't the only excited one.

He pulled away for a moment and simply looked down at Sanji. "Am I dreaming?"

Sanji snorted and looked away. "Don't say stuff like that, it's not like you."

"Are you gonna hate me in the morning?"

"Idiot. Of course not."

Zoro didn't voice the third question that had come into his mind – _Are you going to hate yourself in the morning?_ – and allowed Sanji to pull his head back down to continue kissing. After that, there were no more words. The only sounds were the rustles of clothing, the occasional smack of their lips, and the gentle lapping of waves against Sunny's hull. It was Sanji whose hands started to roam first, feeling Zoro's shoulders and arms, his chest and back. His hands found their way into the other's robe and circled around to clutch his back. Zoro's heart threatened to burst out of his ribcage as Sanji's touch trialed electricity over his skin. At last he had to break away to gasp for air, and when he did, Sanji moved to kiss his neck, his collarbone, his shoulders. He tried not to make a sound as the cook slowly and deliberately clawed down his back, but he knew he was red in the face, knew Sanji could tell exactly how much he was enjoying it. When the cook kissed his way back up Zoro's neck and over his jaw only to hover just half an inch from his lips, Zoro opened his eye.

Sanji was smirking.

And it was then that Zoro let his hands do as they wanted. He placed one on either side of Sanji's face and kissed him almost excruciatingly slowly, pleased when he felt the other tremble. He rolled them over again and deepened the kiss, tangling one hand into Sanji's hair while the other clutched at his back, his shoulder, his neck, and even brushed cautiously over his ass – at which point Sanji made a noise that Zoro took to mean that was off-limits. So he contented himself with slipping his hand underneath Sanji's shirt, which had come untucked long ago. He considered doing the same thing Sanji had done to him, but opted to trail his fingers lightly down the other's back instead. The shiver that ran through Sanji's body when he did let him know he'd made the right choice. He smirked into their kiss and repeated the action. This time Sanji jerked away to let out a gasp as he shivered again, his eyes closed, but the enjoyment plain on his face. Since Sanji had created a small gap between them Zoro slid his hand around his side and up his chest to give Sanji's nipple a pinch.

At that, Sanji sat up rapidly and stared down at Zoro, breathing hard. Zoro couldn't pin an emotion to the look on the cook's face, but something told him the fun was over. And no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Sanji rolled off him to lie spread-eagled on the deck. He stared at the sky, not really seeing it, and tried to calm his breathing, tried to stop his trembling. He was very aware of Zoro next to him, could feel the heat from his body, a sharp contrast to what had become a chilly night. Once he had caught his breath, he lit a cigarette. Then, almost apologetically, he shifted closer to the swordsman. After a beat, Zoro did the same. They lay there, not quite touching, both not looking at the other. When Sanji finished his smoke, Zoro said, "You should go. Second watch'll be coming up soon."

"I'm second watch," Sanji said, lighting a second cigarette.

A pause.

"Mind if I stick around?"

"Do what you want."

Zoro gritted his teeth and considered heading to bed. Whatever had happened was probably just a one-time thing after all. But then he noticed Sanji slide his hand closer. Zoro held his breath and did the same, looping his pinky over Sanji's. The cook made no move to pull away. All he did was blow out a stream of smoke and mumble, "You sure are something, _marimo_."


	2. Chapter 2

When Zoro woke up he was lying on his stomach on the deck with his face pressed into a bundle of fabric that smelled of tobacco and spices. He pushed himself up to sit and stretch, feeling something slide off his back as he did – a blanket. The thing that had been under his head was Sanji's jacket. He folded the blanket and left it on the deck, smoothed out the jacket, and got to his feet. For a moment it seemed as though he was the only one awake, but then he noticed the tell-tale trail of smoke rising from the figurehead. He climbed up and found Sanji sitting there next to an overflowing ashtray. The cook's shirt was untucked, sleeves pushed haphazardly up his forearms, the top two buttons undone, and his tie loose. His hair was ruffled, and the dark circles under his eyes made him look like he'd been awake for a week rather than just one night.

"Morning. Brought your jacket," Zoro said, tossing the garment over.

Sanji caught it and draped it across his lap. "Morning," he echoed dully, eyes glued to the horizon. Dawn had only just broken. His watch duties weren't yet over. And he wasn't sure he could look at Zoro and stay calm.

"If you wanna get some rest, I can take over," the swordsman offered.

"You implying I can't even handle one sleepless night?" Sanji snapped.

"You look tired."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Not mine."

"Entirely yours!"

"I don't remember being the one saying 'Kiss me'."

That shut Sanji up. He grunted and stubbed out the remains of his cigarette, lighting another one immediately. The truth was that he was totally wired and couldn't have slept even if he'd wanted to. Long after Zoro had fallen asleep on the deck, Sanji had lain there staring at the sky, his pinky still wrapped in Zoro's. By the time he'd snapped out of jumbled thoughts and realized he was supposed to be on look-out, Zoro had rolled onto his side, away from Sanji. Sanji had risen, found a blanket to drape over Zoro, and then hastily shed his jacket and balled it up into a makeshift pillow, all the while trying not to think about how _girlfriendy_ his actions were. Then he'd climbed onto the figurehead and the jumbled thoughts had taken over again.

"Well, if you're not gonna sleep, I will," Zoro said, sensing the cook's desire to be alone, or maybe just to not be with him. "Later."

Sanji barely noticed him leave. It certainly did nothing to calm his mind. Internally, he was freaking out. The thoughts ran through his head in overlapping circles, like a bunch of broken records playing at once with the volume on full blast. _Did that really happen? That happened. That actually happened. I made out with the goddamn _marimo_. I made out with him and touched him and he touched me._ And then there was the one quiet, almost taunting thought that Sanji refused to acknowledge: _And you liked it, didn't you?_

* * *

In the men's quarters, Zoro got into bed but suddenly found himself wide awake. Disappointment crept through him like poisonous gas, slow, steady, and toxic. He wasn't sure what he'd expected this morning to be like, but he hadn't expected _this_. The best case scenario, which Zoro had actually let himself hope for as he'd lain on the deck falling asleep, would have been Sanji deciding he felt for Zoro after all. The worst case scenario, which Zoro had told himself to expect, would have been another loud and probably violent rejection.

He'd never anticipated silence.

Sighing heavily and rolling onto his side, Zoro wondered what the hell the cook had been thinking. What had possessed him to tell Zoro to kiss him? He wasn't the type to experiment. Zoro had been sure that even if the cook had felt some faint desire to be with another man, he would sooner repress it than act on it. Which was probably why Zoro had been so caught off guard last night that he'd actually obliged.

No, that was a lie. His decision to kiss Sanji had nothing to do with being caught off-guard and everything to do with his own desire, his longing to know what it felt like having those lips pressed against his, if only for a moment. That one moment had turned into much longer was even more surprising than the initial demand, but by then Zoro was long gone, too captivated to stop.

Stupid cook.

Oh well. What was done was done, and moping wouldn't change anything. It would be best to just forget the whole thing. Surely that was what the cook was doing. Zoro had lived with these feelings for more than two years; it wasn't as if they'd kill him. Forgetting what the cook felt like against him, under him, would be the hard part, especially with a tiny voice in the back of his mind whispering, _Maybe he just needs time_….

Zoro didn't realize how long he'd been lost in thought until Brook started playing an obnoxious tune on violin, crying, "Good morning, everyone! Time to get up! Breakfast is served!"

Groans, yawns, and rustling filled the room as the crew began to wake up and get out of bed. Brook ran out of the room with a "Yohohoho!" and Franky disappeared soon after to do a quick check of Sunny's fuel tanks before breakfast. Usopp clambered out of his bed and said, "Oi, Zoro, get up before Brook comes back for round two. You, too, Luffy!" he added, reaching into Luffy's bunk trying to shake the captain awake.

Stretching a faking a yawn, Zoro grumbled, "Yeah, yeah."

The scent of the meal that awaited them began to drift into the room through the door left open by Franky. In two second flat, Luffy was bolting out the door with Usopp and Chopper hot on his heels. Brook was still running around somewhere outside, and silence fell just as fast as it had been broken. Zoro sat up and swung his legs out of bed, but his limbs didn't seem to want to move any farther. Going to the galley meant facing the cook, and that was the last thing Zoro wanted to do. Aside from his cold behaviour, there was the way he had looked sitting there on the figurehead. Zoro rarely saw him looking anything less than immaculate. Even after a fight, when he was rough around the edges, there was a certain composure, probably what the cook would call class. Seeing him all worn out and dishevelled was somehow sexy.

How twisted was that?

Just then, Brook stuck his head into the room and sang, "Zoro-san! Breakfast!"

Screw it. He wasn't going to hide from the idiot cook, and it wasn't as if anything would be said or done in front of the others, not by him and definitely not by the cook. Besides, Zoro knew he'd catch hell for skipping a meal whether the guy was pissed off or not.

"I'm coming," Zoro said and followed the skeleton to the galley.


	3. Chapter 3

_"I need to talk to you."_

_"I'm busy."_

_"It's important."_

_"So talk." Dinner wasn't going to prepare itself, and Sanji wasn't particularly interested in the marimo's chit-chat. Though he no longer had to cook for the Rolling Pirates, the crew having left them behind on Thriller Bark, feeding Luffy was no simple task in and of itself. Timing was important. Miss a beat and the whole meal could end up a train wreck._

_"Cook," Zoro said._

_"Spit it out already," Sanji said irritably. "If this is about the Kuma thing –"_

_"Sanji, look at me."_

_Hearing the swordsman say his name sent an odd shiver down Sanji's spine. He looked up._

_"It's not about Kuma. It's –"_

* * *

Sanji jerked awake from the dream-memory in a cold sweat. A shudder ran through him as he blinked away the lingering image of the bandaged swordsman standing in the galley in the afternoon light, about to confess something Sanji never saw coming.

"Hey, are you okay?" Usopp asked. He was the one who had shaken Sanji awake. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? I mean, we can make our own lunch if you wanna keep sleeping..."

_Oh, hell no._ "Don't be stupid. It's nothing. Just a bad dream." Sanji got out of bed and started rummaging around for a clean shirt. "Thanks for waking me."

"Y-Yeah ... no problem," Usopp said and headed out of the room, a bit confused. It was shaping up to be a strange day. At breakfast Sanji had been so tired that he hadn't even been able to offer Nami and Robin more than a weak smile as he served them. Meanwhile Zoro had been polite to the cook, actually saying 'thank you' when he was handed his food, albeit rather coldly. And when everyone had eaten Zoro had all but barricaded himself in the gym while Sanji had told Usopp to wake him an hour before lunchtime before disappearing into the men's quarters.

Standing on deck now, Usopp could see that Zoro was still in the gym, swinging around one of those gigantic weights of his. Usually the swordsman left training for the afternoon, but he'd been up there all morning, constantly in movement. _Maybe I'm just reading too far into things_, Usopp thought. Even Sanji could get tired, and it wasn't like Zoro _had_ to train in the afternoon every day. Still, the tension in the galley had been palpable from the moment Zoro stepped in that morning. Usopp had a feeling something had happened between those two. They may not have been best friends before, but neither had there been this much animosity between them. Something had to have happened.

* * *

When the rest of the crew had eaten lunch but the musclehead _marimo_ had yet to make an appearance, Sanji handed Usopp the last plate of food and told him to take it to the swordsman and tell him that if he tried to skip another meal Sanji would kick his ass.

Zoro was putting away his weights and toweling himself off when Usopp arrived. He grabbed the plate with a mumbled 'thanks' and started shoveling food into his mouth, something like relief plain in his eye.

"Sanji's gonna kill you if you miss dinner," Usopp said.

"He can try," Zoro said between mouthfuls.

Usopp hesitated. "Is, uh, everything okay with you two?"

Zoro handed him the already-empty plate and turned away. "Yup."

_There's a 'no' if I ever heard one._ "Well, alright. If you say so." He started to walk away.

"Why, did he say something?"

Usopp paused. "No. Maybe I'm just imagining things."

Zoro waited for the sniper to leave before dropping to the floor. He'd been planning to meditate after lunch, but he knew it wouldn't be possible anymore, not after that exchange. Even though he knew exercise right after eating was a bad idea, he began to do push-ups. Usopp had already noticed something was off and it hadn't even been one day. How long until everyone – with the possible exceptions of Luffy and Chopper – caught on? If the cook didn't hate him now, he would then.

_Stop_, he told himself. _Focus only on what you're doing_.

Something like this shouldn't be able to distract him. What was all his training for over the past two years if he could be thrown off so easily? Yet he'd spent the morning working himself to the bone, making sure he had not a second to think about anything except his movements. And it looked like he'd have to spend the afternoon the same way.

* * *

"This island looks boring," Luffy complained.

"We're just here for provisions, not adventure" Nami said sharply.

"Boooooring," Luffy drawled.

The navigator ignored him. "Who else is coming?"

"Me! Me!" Chopper exclaimed, jumping up and down with one arm raised.

"We need to stock up on cola, so I'll come along," Franky said.

"I'll help," Usopp offered.

"I'll stay here," Robin said with a smile.

"I'd like to have a look around town," said Brook.

There was a beat of silence.

"Sanji-_kun_?"

"Y-Yes, Nami-_san_, of course I'll accompany you!" Sanji said.

Zoro was nowhere to be seen, but Nami shrugged it off. "Alright, we'll leave the Sunny to you, Robin. Let's go!"

The seven of them took off. Robin watched them until they disappeared over a hill. Then she headed for her flower garden. She was surprised to find Zoro sleeping – or rather, pretending to sleep – on the deck among the flowerbeds. She had assumed he'd be in the gym, where he'd spent almost every waking minute for the past three days, and she wasn't displeased to find him taking a break. For some time she went about tending her flowers, snipping away dead leaves and wilted buds. Then, after she had filled the watering can and started watering, she spoke.

"Zoro, is everything alright?"

Silence.

"You seem agitated."

A sigh. "It's nothing."

"Does it have to do with Sanji?"

Zoro opened his eye and stared at Robin's back. She'd figured it out, too? Could she have heard something, seen something...?

Robin glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "I haven't been eavesdropping, if that's what you think."

"Then how...?" Zoro began, and then kicked himself mentally, realizing he'd as good as admitted there was something going on.

"I've suspected for quite some time," Robin said. "The way you look at him, the way you've always looked at him ... it says a lot."

Zoro frowned. He didn't want to believe he was that transparent.

"But these past few days ... did something happen?" Robin asked.

"You could say that," Zoro replied tightly.

"If you want to talk about it..." Robin left the offer dangling.

For a long time, Zoro was silent. It wasn't until Robin finished watering the last of the flowers that he sat up and looked squarely at her.

"I told him how I felt about him after we left Thriller Bark. He rejected me. A few days ago I told him I still feel the same. He rejected me. But that same night he came up to me and told me to kiss him."

Robin raised her eyebrows. "More than a little contradictory."

"I'll say." For a moment, Zoro hesitated. Then he decided that as long as he was spilling his guts he might as well tell her the rest. "But I kissed him anyway and ... well, it didn't stop there. And now he won't even look at me. If I seem agitated, it's probably because I am." He laughed humourlessly. "He said kissing me might help him figure out what he's feeling. Guess not." Even as he spoke Zoro could hear how childishly bitter he sounded, but he couldn't stop himself.

Luckily, Robin didn't seem to mind. "Perhaps he needs time to process."

"He could say so."

"He may be worried about your reaction."

"Never worried about it before."

"True, but things have clearly changed between the two of you."

To that Zoro had no reply. She was right. Obviously.

Robin put away the watering can she was still holding. "He's not punishing you, you know."

"Sure feels like it." It was as though the cook was keeping his mouth shut and his eyes averted just to make Zoro suffer.

"Don't you think Sanji would come up with a rather more direct way to punish you if that was what he wanted?" Robin asked gently.

Zoro considered this for a moment. "Well, I guess he hasn't tried to kick my face in or cut off my access to the booze. Not yet anyway."

Robin laughed. "Indeed!"

Closing his eye and lying back down Zoro said, "So you're telling me to be patient."

"I'm suggesting it," Robin corrected. "I'm telling you not to be so hard on yourself." She paused. "Of course, you could confront him. It's up to you." She smiled and headed down the stairs.

_Confront him_, Zoro thought. _Yeah right. He'd just get even more freaked out._

Still, he wasn't sure he could be patient much longer. The silence made him wonder, made him try to think of every possible thing the cook might be thinking. But trying to figure out what went on in that idiot's head wasn't the worst of it. No, the worst was the tiny sliver of hope that Robin had just made a little bigger. The silence provided that miniscule chance that Sanji wanted him after all. Silence wasn't rejection. In his head, Zoro realized the improbability. But since when did the heart pay attention to the head?


	4. Chapter 4

Sanji was beginning to feel like he was going around in circles. Every inch of the forest looked the same, and he hadn't seen head or tail of Luffy, Brook, or Chopper. In typical Luffy fashion, as soon as one of the villagers had said it was best to stay away from the forest, the captain had rushed off, dragging the other two along with him. When Nami-_san_ had found out, she had immediately sent Sanji after them and headed for the ship herself. A man living on the edge of town had pointed out where he'd seen "the Straw Hat guy and two monsters" enter the forest, and Sanji had run in after them.

The forest was old. The closest thing Sanji had seen to it was Upper Yard, the piece of earth that had landed in the sky, where the trees were thousands of years old and it showed. Here, too, the trees were enormous. The forest floor was a mess of roots, thorny plants, and slippery rocks. Moss grew thick over everything, and the trees – all of which were evergreens – grew so dense that little sunlight reached the floor, leaving it in an eerie state of perpetual dusk.

From the moment Sanji had stepped in he had felt a strange sense of foreboding. He wasn't sure if it was because of the villagers' ominous warnings, the strange lighting of the forest, or something else entirely, but he was sure that the feeling would have flown right over Luffy's head. Sometimes it was like that guy sorted everything into "boring stuff" and "adventure". Sanji hoped he'd be able to find him before he got into too much trouble.

_It'd help if I had any idea where they went_, Sanji thought. There wasn't enough even ground for footprints, and the thorny bushes that seemed to be the only foliage aside from the moss and the trees themselves was doing more damage to Sanji than he was doing to it, so he couldn't hope for a trail of snapped branches either.

"LUFFY!" he shouted.

His voice reverberated through the trees, and rather than fading away, it was as if the forest swallowed the sound. A shiver ran through Sanji. There was definitely something off about this place. Still, he continued on his way. Soon he came to the remains of a low stone wall. It was broken in several places where trees had grown over or through it. Stepping over it, Sanji spotted what looked like a clearing a little way away. As he got closer he saw a thick ring of those thorny bushes growing around it like a second fence. Over the thorns he saw a hut of some kind – just the kind of place Luffy would eagerly explore. Leaping over the thorns, Sanji landed on soft, springy, mossy ground. The hut, which was really more of a shack, was falling apart. Its weathered wooden walls were missing planks here and there, the roof sagged so badly it looked as though it could cave in at any minute, if the windows ever had glass panes they were long gone, and the door was missing, ripped off its hinges by the looks of the frame.

"Who the hell would wanna live here," Sanji muttered to himself.

Just then an enormous raven burst out of the shack in flurry of feathers, its obnoxious cawing stirring the forest's eerie silence. Sanji leapt back in surprise, landed badly on the soft, uneven ground, and fell down. The raven soared over him and into the forest, its caws sounding long after it was out of sight. That was when Sanji realized why the forest felt so wrong. It was lifeless. It was too quiet. The silence of a forest was usually made up of subtle noises - the rustling of leaves, snapping twigs, critters in the undergrowth, birds singing. But in this forest Sanji hadn't even encountered a mosquito.

"So what the hell is that raven doing here?" He glanced after it, then turned his attention back to the shack. His gut told him to stay away from it, but he was growing more certain that Luffy and the others had gone there. He got back up and headed inside.

* * *

"Robin! Zoro! We have trouble!"

Nami's voice snapped Zoro out of the half-sleep he'd finally fallen into after talking with Robin. He rose and saw her running towards the ship – alone.

"What is it?" he called.

"Luffy and Brook and Chopper went into the forest!" Nami exclaimed.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. Since when did that spell trouble? "What's the big deal?"

"The villagers kept saying it's dangerous and no one comes out alive!"

_In other words, they might as well have led Luffy there on a leash_, Zoro thought wryly.

"It's a really creepy-looking forest," Nami continued. "I don't know if it's cursed or whatever the locals say, but I didn't get a good feeling about it. Anyway, I sent Sanji-kun after them, but I – I think we should all go."

Robin, who was on the main deck, said, "Where are Franky and Usopp?"

"Still in town," Nami replied. "I'll wait for them here if you two go ahead – "

"You just don't wanna go yourself," Zoro accused.

"Obviously! It's scary!"

"Well, whatever." Zoro descended to the main deck. "Robin, you coming?"

"Yes, I'd like to see this forest," she replied.

They climbed down to the shore, where Nami explained to Robin how to get to the forest. They took off at a run while Nami boarded the Sunny, and with Robin leading the way they were standing at the forest's edge ten minutes later.

"It reminds me of Skypiea," Robin commented.

"Think we'll meet another so-called 'God'?" Zoro joked.

"I understand what Nami was saying. I don't like the feel of this place either," Robin said.

Zoro had to agree. "Even so, we've got four idiots to retrieve."

Robin smiled. "Shall we?"

They stepped further and further into the darkness, and though they started out with a sense of urgency in their steps, they were quickly slowed by the treacherous footing.

"How are we supposed to find anything in here? There aren't even any paths," Zoro said.

"How indeed," Robin said.

They struggled in silence, thorns snagging on their clothing. Then Robin paused and stared intently up at the trees.

"See something?" asked Zoro.

"Do you notice anything strange about this forest?"

"Yeah. It's empty."

"Indeed. Typically what one might fear when entering a forest is coming face to face with a wild animal. This place is deserted, yet the feeling of danger is almost overwhelming."

"So am I supposed to believe in some kind of curse?"

"What people call curses are often real dangers the shape of which they do not know. The villagers are terrified, it's likely none of them have ever set foot in here. They've only seen outsiders go in and not come out, so they call it a curse."

"And you think it's something else?"

"I'm sure of it."

"Any idea what it might be?"

"A few, none of which I'd like to meet. Let's try to find the others quickly."

Zoro frowned. If there was some kind of monster lurking around here, Luffy was sure to find it. He had almost a sixth sense about those kinds of things. Under normal circumstances Zoro wouldn't have cared one way or another, but the last few days had been anything but normal. Even in this creepy forest his thoughts wanted to drift back to the stupid cook and his stupid mixed message. Aside from that, if even Robin, who generally took everything in stride no matter what, was apprehensive about getting involved with this forest's mystery beasts, he'd be stupid to look forward to meeting them.

"Are you looking for your friends?"

In a flash Zoro had a sword drawn and pointing in the direction of the strange voice. But there was no one there.

"Over here!"

He spun and nearly lost his balance, grabbing onto a tree to keep from falling.

"Hahaha! Looks like you need some help!"

"Zoro," Robin said.

He raised his head and saw a gigantic raven sitting on a boulder ahead. It flapped its wings and laughed.

"Put that thing away and maybe I'll help you out," it said, speaking with the voice of an old woman.

Glancing at Robin, Zoro sheathed his sword slowly.

"Good." The raven flew closer, perching on a particularly large root. "I know where the spiral eyebrow is."

Zoro's heart caught in his throat.

The raven laughed at his expression. "Seems you know him. He's in quite a predicament. I can take you there. But only one of you."

_Stupid cook, what did he get himself into?_ Zoro thought, clenching his jaw.

"Wait," said Robin. "You said 'friends', yet you mentioned only one."

"Oh, we've got ourselves a smart one," the raven crowed. "Yes, there are three others, but they are elsewhere. They are safe, for the moment."

Robin regarded the bird coolly. "And why should we trust you?"

The raven burst into laughter yet again. "A smart one indeed. But listen here, girlie. I am this forest's sole survivor. I am the one who can lead you out. If you don't trust me, you will die without a doubt."

"Everyone knows that if you walk far enough in one direction you'll get out of the forest eventually," Zoro said.

"Not this one," the raven said tauntingly. "Look around you."

Zoro did so, but saw nothing of interest.

"The landscape changed," Robin said. "There were no boulders there before, and those trees were much farther apart…" She turned to the raven. "You said you're the sole survivor. I take it that means there were once other animals here?"

The raven nodded. "And people. And plants besides what you see."

"What happened to it all?"

The raven seemed to grin. "They were eaten. And you will be, too, come sundown. Your spiral-brow will likely be first."

After a slight pause, Robin asked, "Zoro, do you want to go with the raven? I'll continue on my own, and –"

"No," Zoro interrupted. "You go. I'll keep looking for Luffy." No way was he going to run off to rescue that idiot, no matter how much he wanted to, and he knew the cook would rather be saved by Robin anyway.

"I'll find you once I've brought the lady to the spiral-brow," the raven said. "Groups bigger than two attract them. In fact, we must split up now. Are you decided?"

Robin glanced at Zoro. "You're sure?"

He nodded. "Good luck."

"To you, as well." Robin thought he would need it more.


	5. Chapter 5

The shack was as ragged inside as it was outside. A table layered with dust and bird droppings – the raven's, no doubt – stood beneath where the roof's sagging was worst. The three chairs around it were all missing at least one leg. An empty bedframe sat in one corner, and the fireplace in the center of the back wall had a huge nest built into it. Clearly whoever had lived here was long gone and the raven had taken over.

The strangest thing was the hole in the ground in front of the fireplace. From what Sanji could tell, it went straight down, though he couldn't say how far. He kicked a rock down into it and heard it land with an odd _slap_, almost as if it had hit skin. Still, no angry beast came rearing up and the fall wasn't a terribly long one. Sanji sighed and jumped down. He landed on something soft but firm. He pressed on it with the toe of one foot, unable to see what it was. Then he looked around. He was in a tunnel. Picking a direction, he tried to walk away, only to find that he couldn't move. Fleshy tendrils, like thick, moving vines had trapped his feet and were quickly winding their way around his legs. One shot up on either side of him and snagged his wrists. He couldn't fight back. Swearing, he struggled against the vines, but it was no use. He was sinking, being pulled down and the more he struggled, the more vines piled onto him, every movement prompting them to hold him tighter. They coiled around his waist and forearms, locking him in place. Vines as thick as anacondas wrapped around his chest and squeezed the breath out of him. At last he stopped fighting and focused on drawing breath.

Then he heard a laugh from above. He looked up and saw the raven.

"Looks like you're in trouble," it said.

"Fuck off," Sanji spat.

"What a way to talk to someone who wants to help you!"

"What's a shitty bird gonna do to help me?"

"There are others in this forest. I can bring them here."

"Then what are you doing sitting around talking?!"

"You should know, that plant will drag you down quicker if you struggle. Then you will be devoured."

"Yeah, figured that out already!"

"Very well. I will guide the two that just entered here." The raven took off.

Sanji breathed a sigh of relief. Nami-_san_ must have gotten Robin-_chan_ and come to join him in searching for Luffy. It would be a little embarrassing to have them see him like this, and he hated the idea of them being in danger, but he couldn't say he'd be all that bothered by being saved by them. For a while he was distracted by images of the two women rescuing him from this plant-creature and hugging him tightly in their relief at finding him alive. But as time wore on and the plant pulled him slowly down, the images faded and he started hoping that maybe Luffy and the others would stumble upon him, or that Franky and Usopp were in the forest and would come across the shack. As long as it wasn't that goddamn swordsman. The ladies seeing him this way would be nothing compared to the absolute humiliation of being saved from a damn plant, of all things, by him. Bad enough he'd told Zoro to kiss him, bad enough he'd started running his hands all over the swordsman's body, and worse yet that he'd basically been hiding from the moss-head for the past several days. Being rescued by him would really take the cake.

And he'd be forced to talk to him.

Not only was Sanji still confused – in fact, even more confused now – he was still haunted by the dream and everything that had happened at Thriller Bark. It had all been weighing on his mind more than ever, adding to the muddled mess of his thoughts, stealing his concentration more often than he'd like to admit. He remembered the panic in his chest when he'd heard Zoro and Kuma's exchange, remembered how difficult it had been to hold it inside as he tried to convince the Shichibukai to take his life instead. He remembered waking up even more panicked, racing around searching for the swordsman, the wave of relief that had washed over him when he found him standing. And he remembered with stark clarity the pure, unbridled terror that had sliced through him when he noticed the blood staining the rubble all around Zoro, the rivulets of blood still running over his skin, coming seemingly from everywhere and nowhere, clouding his eyes and staining what was left of his shirt. And then, after days of fear, it had happened…

_"__It's not about Kuma. It's something else entirely." Zoro paused, almost daring Sanji to turn away. When he didn't, Zoro continued, "I care about you. A lot. I have for a long time."_

_Sanji blinked and set down the knife in his hand. "Wh-What the hell are you saying?"_

_"__Are you deaf?" Zoro asked wryly._

_"__You're joking, right?"_

_"__No. I decided it was time to let you know."_

_"__Time to let me know?" Sanji repeated incredulously. "Why?! You expect me to just be okay with that?! Jeez, just stay the hell away from me. Or, I mean, it's probably just frustration anyway! We've been sailing for a long time, maybe at the next island you can find a girl – o-or a guy or whatever and –"_

_"__Shut up," Zoro said. Still looking him in the eye, the swordsman stated, "There's no one I want but you."_

_"__Well, we can't always have what we want!" Sanji exclaimed._

_Zoro smiled painfully. "I know."_

_And he'd walked away._

Momentarily forgetting where he was, Sanji shook his head as if to shake away the memory. Thin, whip-like tendrils slithered around his neck, not squeezing, but not relaxed either. _Goddammit, where did that shitty bird go?_ Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw a pinprick of light coming from the tunnel to his left. It bobbed up and down, and though far away, Sanji was sure it was a lantern or a torch of some kind. Someone was finally coming.

Without thinking, he shouted, "OI, HURRY IT UP!"

His voice echoing through the tunnel was his only reply. Too late, he realized that there was a possibility that whoever was carrying the lantern could be an enemy. _Oh well_, he thought. _If it is, I'm done for whether I yell or not._

He was already knee-deep in the plant-creature's grip.

* * *

It was the blanket that bothered Zoro. The blanket and the jacket. The cook knew Zoro didn't need them, yet he'd taken the time to find him the blanket and make him a pillow. Why? That was something you did for someone you cared for, not someone you were going to ignore for who-knows-how-long. It was a sweet, even loving gesture. Maybe the cook meant it as an apology. 'Sorry, made a mistake, my bad.' No, that was stupid. The cook had no qualms about potentially hurting Zoro's feelings. He hoped Robin was right about him just needing time. Still, he found himself wishing he'd gone with the bird, gotten that curly-browed idiot out of whatever trouble he was in, and demanded to know what the hell he was thinking.

Lost in thought, Zoro nearly tripped over a pile of rocks. He swore, caught himself, and studied the pile at fault. A stone fence? What was that doing out here? Even though the bird had said people used to live in the forest, this was the first sign of civilization he'd seen. The low wall was broken and crumbling, but Zoro could see that it still snaked along through the forest with some consistency. He decided to follow it, thinking he might come to some kind of gate or other entrance if he did. It was the only lead he had.

He hadn't been following the stone fence for very long, however, when something on the other side of it caught his eye. A tree stood in a clearing, burnt black, its branches barren, an opening at the bottom revealing a hollow inside. It was as large and imposing as all the other trees in the forest, but,even leafless, Zoro could tell it was not an evergreen. He stepped over the stones and approached the tree. The opening was shorter than he was, but once he'd ducked through, there was plenty of room to stand. Looking around he wondered if the tree was completely hollow all the way to the top. The space was neat and tidy, almost as if someone lived there, not a single cobweb or earwig in sight. There was certainly enough space. But there were no signs that anyone had been there for a long time.

"I guess even spiders don't wanna hang around here," Zoro said to himself.

Then his eyes fell upon a hole in the ground. He peered into it and saw a ladder illuminated by a flickering light somewhere below. Definitely suspicious. And definitely something Luffy would hop right into. Zoro climbed down. By the time his feet hit hard-packed earth the hole in the tree was barely visible. He now stood in a tunnel that ran off into the darkness in two directions. The source of the flickering light was a lantern hanging from a hook in the wall. Zoro picked it up, chose a direction, and started to walk.

* * *

"Luffy, I really don't think we should go in there," Chopper said.

"I agree, Luffy-_san_!" Brook exclaimed.

The cave before them was a huge mouth ready to swallow them whole, pitch black and as eerily silent as the rest of the forest. A foul stench Chopper could not identify came from within, and the feeling of danger was stronger than ever before.

"We should go back, the others are probably worried," Chopper said.

"They know we can take care of ourselves," Luffy said cheerfully. "Let's go!"

He marched into the cave, leaving the other two with little choice but to follow him. Within moments it was too dark to see where they were going, but Luffy pressed on. Brook and Chopper stayed close to him. The ground beneath their feet started to slope downward, the smell growing stronger with every step.

"Luffy, I can't go on," Chopper said at last. "The smell is too bad."

"Huh? I don't smell anything," Luffy said.

"Nor do I," Brook agreed. "Though, I don't have a nose to smell with. Yohoho!"

Their voices echoed in the cavernous space, sending a chill through Chopper.

"Just plug your nose with something," Luffy said.

Before Chopper could say another word, the ground disappeared from beneath their feet and they were falling.

* * *

Zoro was sure he could see light up ahead. It was dim, but it was there, coming from above. Was it another entrance like the one he'd come through? So far the tunnel had been uneventful. It had twisted and turned, sloping downward very slightly, but the floor and walls remained smooth and intact, and not so much as an earthworm had crossed his path. A while ago the turns had stopped and the dim shaft of light had appeared. Maybe once he got to it he'd leave the tunnel and try his luck in the forest again. The tunnel was barren, and besides, how would the raven find him down here?

Then a yell cut through his thoughts. "OI, HURRY IT UP!"

_" – __IT UP!"_

_" – __IT UP!"_

_" – __UP!"_ the voice echoed.

Zoro couldn't believe it. "Damn cook…"

He took off at a run, one hand holding the lantern, the other clamped around the hilt of a sword. He didn't like the note of desperation in the cook's voice. Was he being eaten? Where the hell had that bird taken Robin? No time to think about that, all Zoro knew was that he had to hurry. Robin would be fine on her own, but from the sound of his shout, the cook might not be.

Meanwhile, Sanji was employing every single ounce of his willpower into not fighting the plant. It had pulled him in to the waist by the time the lantern-bearer was close enough for Sanji to see who was coming. His heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. _Goddammit._

Zoro took in the scene quickly – the cook was wrapped in vines and being pulled down. The plant seemed to have a mind of its own. Unsheathing a sword, Zoro shouted, "JUMP!" and slashed through the air. The vines holding the cook burst apart and Sanji jumped. The plant reacted fast, reaching for him again, but not fast enough. Before it could regain its grip on him, Zoro had leaped into the air, grabbed Sanji around the waist, and thrown the lantern down at the plant. The lantern shattered, the plant burst into flame, and the swordsman and the cook landed face down on the other side of the pit where the plant grew. For a moment they lay there, side by side with Zoro's arm still around Sanji's waist. Then Zoro snatched it away and got to his feet, keeping his back to Sanji, who got up in silence and brushed himself off. The plant writhed behind them, the crackling of the intensifying fire the only sound.

And suddenly Zoro couldn't take it anymore. "What's your problem?" he asked without turning.

"You really wanna do this now?" Sanji mumbled.

"It's as good a time as any," Zoro replied. "As soon as we find the others and get back to the ship you'll probably go right back to avoiding me, right? Still threatened? Remember, you're the one who came on to me."

"I told you, I'm not _threatened_, asshole."

Zoro glanced over his shoulder. "Then what the hell is your problem?"

"My problem is that I'm fucking pissed," Sanji snapped.

"What do you have to be pissed about?"

"Thriller Bark."

Now Zoro did turn around. "What does that have to do with anything?!"

"That's where this all started!"

"Well, yeah, but –"

"Do you have any idea what it was like for me to find you like that, standing there with blood everywhere? Have you even thought about it? And then for you to say it was _nothing_?"

Zoro's eyes flashed. "Idiot. Of course I've thought about it. But you know what I've thought about more? If I had to be the one to find your fucking corpse." Seeing indignation on Sanji's face, he added, "I'm not saying you're weaker than me. I was convinced I was going to die. Like hell I'd let you take my place. At least if you'd found me dead you could have said you tried to stop me. Besides, did you really think I was gonna step aside and say, 'Never mind, take this shitty cook instead'? How stupid are you?!"

The men stared defiantly at each other in the flickering light of the fire. Sanji looked away first and started groping in his pockets for a cigarette. In a low, almost embarrassed tone, he said, "I thought you were going to die."

"But I didn't."

"You were unconscious for three days. I wasn't. You have no idea what it was like for me. Every time Chopper went to check on you I expected him to come back with bad news." The cook laughed humourlessly. "When we first met I saw you get almost cut in half only to stitch yourself up and fight again the same damn day. To say nothing of all the other fights we've been through." He looked almost helplessly at Zoro. "So why the hell was I so – so scared? I – It's not like I think you're weak, either, but I was still scared of –" He stopped short, a look of realization followed by panic crossing his face. Suddenly everything made sense.

Just then there was a crash behind them. The plant began to break apart amidst the flames, charred remains falling away into what looked like an underground cavern. Only when the last of the flaming bits of vine had fallen did the smell hit. Both men physically recoiled from the opening.

"What the hell is that?" Sanji muttered.

A deep rumbling sounded, and the earth beneath their feet fell away.


End file.
